So that new iPod touch that Apple presented today is pretty nifty, isn’t it? And Steve’s keynote was pretty entertaining too.
Yeah well… there’s quite a few missing features (no it’s not the Beatles) that itch me… even before I lay down the $399 I will no doubt end up spending on this (nonetheless) beautiful peace of art. And Especially:
Podcasts: yes, so it has WiFi and a browser and an online music store… but what about podcasts? You subscribe to podcast in order to get new episodes when they become available. The least I’d expect from a WiFi enabled portable podcast player is to actually get the episodes of the podcasts I’m subscribed too. Not a single word about that…
…well maybe it is actually there. Maybe Steve just didn’t mention it because they haven’t found a way to gently rip you off with it, as they’re getting ready to do with their iPhone ringtone business! Think about it: you already bought a full length song (at a fairly high price). Now Apple lets you clip out 10 seconds of that song to use as a ring tone. All you have to do is pay another $.99 for those 10 seconds you already have on your iPone! Why exactly did people applause to that?
Email: can you name one single good reason why this thing doesn’t include a POP3/IMAP mail client? Does Apple’s partnership with Google go so far they’re going to encourage us to use Gmail instead?
And by the way, if Google rules, where’s the Google maps application?
Edit: The new $20 iPod Touch upgrade finally addresses that!
Games: Steve proudly showed off the games on the new iPod nano. What about the iPod touch? Can I play all the games I purchased for my iPod “classic” on my soon to be iPod touch? Odds look pretty bad…
PDA features: This device now clearly has the capabilities of a top of the line PDA. It just lacks some software to do it right. Todo lists, anyone? Can you at least edit your calendar and contacts on the go? You couldn’t do it with the previous iPods and Steve didn’t mention it. It would be odd not to be able to do it, but then again, the software on this one is so trimmed down compared to the iPhone that I’m a little scared…
Edit: you can now edit calendar and contents in version 1.1.2.
Now of course, what I should really do is get an iPhone… Especially at the new $399 price! Yeah… if only they were available in Europe… (fingers crossed for Apple Expo Paris this September).
Camera: Actually, now the iPhone is just $100 more than the iPod, does it really make sense not to have a camera built into the high-end iPod? … well, that would make it a killer blogger tool for sure. And again, the iPhone is not available everywhere, not even in certain regions of the US where there is no AT&T coverage…
Comments from long ago:
Comment from: Annoynomous
THANK YOU FOR POINTING THOSE FEATURE OUT!! I was REALLY looking foward to the camera on the iPod.. I mean, come on?? You got a Wi-Fi iPod here, that is a mock up with its brother, the iPhone, the least you can do is ATLEAST try to make it look like the iPhone.. Its got Wi-Fi.. Why no email feature?? Why no Google Maps?? Well geez.. I dont know either.. As for games.. I dont really think the new iPod is really fit to be a game player.. Dont get me wrong, having games is gonna be pretty fun, just the lack of controllers and how your gonna play is gonna be weird.. Podcasts… Very neat feature indeed.. Why no implentation in the new iPod?? Apple really needs to fix up the flaws on the iPod, if they do, they’ll for sure will get some customer.. =] (ME! =D)
2007-09-06 03-34
Comment from: Steve
I’ll just surf to my ISP and use the online email server. No biggie.
2007-09-06 15-38
Comment from: Mox Folder
What would be the interest for Apple in short term to have 2 exact similar products (except the phone function) ?
I understand the interest for the consumer, but for now there in no interest for Apple.
That’s simply why some functions are missing,
2007-09-06 17-04
Comment from: François Planque
The phone function alone is enough to justify the $100 price difference. $100 is less than you would pay for a separate phone with synchronized address book, efficient messaging, the cool visual voicemail and EDGE webbrowsing on a large screen.
There is no good reason to me for not putting all the non GSM/EDGE related features into the iPod touch, which again, only costs a little less.
Besides that, the iPhone is not available everywhere, so it makes sense to have a device with everything but the cellular capabilities.
Finally, I do believe Apple is in the business of not pissing off their customers :>
2007-09-06 18-28
Comment from: kevin
yeah, but an iPhone is not a phone. when i use a phone, i want a phone. not some flat bar iPod/PDA thingie
2007-09-06 23-23
Comment from: François Planque
Kevin, “you want a phone”. You mean something with a rotating dial? :»
2007-09-06 23-26
Comment from: Stuart Learmonth
Francois, you say there is only a $100 difference in price between the iPhone and the iPod touch.
I assume you know something about how mobile phones and their costings work.
Do try to remember that the price you are quoting for the iphone includes a 24 month contract, where as the iPod touch doesn’t
2007-10-02 22-22
Comment from: jordan
I’m typing this on a ipod touch
2007-10-03 08-16
Comment from: Dan M.
LOL! This is a nice article. But, at one point you ask why people applaud. Because they are stock holders. More money for them is a win win situation.
2007-10-05 00-17
Comment from: maddy
Ye im typing this on AN iPod TOUCH!!!!! be jealous they rule They’d getting widgets soon fee the pods that u can just download to it YEEEREEeEE
2007-10-21 05-30
Comment from: troy a.
does the wi-fi on the ipod touch cost anything ?
2007-10-31 00-10
Comment from: joe
nope !!!!!!! Tht Wi fi is Freeeee hahahahahahh i hope your jelious cause the ipod touch is amazing and you all prob dont have one !!!! hahahahahah
2007-11-06 18-00
Comment from: Taylor
yeah I’m on a IPOd touch 2 but I can’t figure out how to watch youtube bids as a mater of fact any vids. Any 1have Any advice because I’m confused
2007-11-11 20-41
Comment from: Jono
Oh yeah, the iPod Touch rocks! ;) Loving mine. Pity about the missing features, but that’s relatively simple to fix……
You can download most of the popular iphone apps straight to your ipod touch:
- notes
- weather
- google maps
- stocks
Simply jailbreak your ipod touch (surf to www.jailbreakme.com from within safari).
Then open installer and add “http://repo.us.to” to the sources.
Then you can download all these apps right from your ipod touch (assuming you’re in a wifi hotspot). Really easy to do - I did mine yesterday.
2007-11-15 14-52
Comment from: aaliyahalazay
you can jailbreak your ipod touch, except it will void your warranty. i want to do it so i can get the extra apps but i’ll be highly pissed off if i turn around and it breaks 2 months later with no warranty. apple needs to get up on those missing apps though.
2007-11-25 08-45
Comment from: tiani
How does apple konw if u’ve ‘jail breaked’’ ur pod? y do they care any way?
2007-12-01 10-24
Comment from: Melissa
Tiani, that’s my question, too. Why would they care if you’ve jailbroken your iPod touch?
2007-12-03 01-05
Comment from: ale
they only care about third party apps because as soon as people learn to use them, theyll start losing control. Its they same story with the pap, homebrew became big and Sony spent moreoney trying to stop the homebrew instead of developing new features. I’ll just say hold off on jailbreaking for a while and give apple a chance before over riding their efforts to create an even more awesome pocket electronic. I’m also typing this on an iPod touch, and it was worth every penny and a huge upgrade from my last pocket gadget, the somy psp. Great job apple!
2007-12-12 07-11
Comment from: mypinknee
Hi - You don’t need to Jailbreak your iPod Touch. Just download version 1.1.2 from Apple, and it allows you to edit your addresses and calendar on the iPod - not many people seem to know that yet.
2007-12-13 22-26
Comment from: matt
yeah I’m typing this on an iPod touch. ( got it for hanukah) I love it hut I do think that apple should have put more applications on the Ipod touch Are you able to download webaps from the apple website? also where did you get the upgrades ( mine came with the version 1.1.2 but I’d like to know for future refrences ) I hope that apple does not do what Sony did by making it were you have to by a camera separate that only works that system. I just hope that apple works It all out-…………….•••••••
2007-12-14 07-23
Comment from: dinesh sharma
I am typing this on my iPod touch aswell better than iPhone iPod touch is the future. holla at your boy dinesh sharma no.1. don’t hate da player hate da game.peace.
2007-12-28 21-52
Comment from: brend
i have an ipod touch… but i dont wanna jail break it though it is really annoying when u got to menu and see a whole load of blank.. though that may prove that apple will release new apps for it
2007-12-29 02-35
Comment from: martin
I am writing this on an iPod touch. I have to say its looking good so far things will be better when apple release the sdk and 3rd parties start developing apps for it (we will have to see if apple start charging for the sdk though i hope they wont) all we need now is a writing app (like notepad for example) and a wifi printer and it will make the perfect pda(I dont think apple would have any serious competition should apple choose to take this direction) i also hope apple release a few more applications for it (like mail and google maps for example) i am excited to see which route apple take to improve the touch.
2007-12-31 19-14
Comment from: Kyle
Even if something does go wrong when you jailbreak the ipod touch, you could always simple set the system back to default through itunes.
2008-01-18 02-25
Comment from: nachito
whut it dew what it is just jailbreak ipod and bamm!! get games on it (to jailbreak:) 1.download ziphone 2.5(you need .net framework 2.0) 2.unzip folder 3.connect ipod 4.on left hand side click “jailbreak” 5. add games
2008-03-10 03-34
Comment from: kristen
I’m typing on my iPod touch too. And I want to download games on it that I can play them without wi fi. Then my world would be all good. But I go to many different websites and none of them will work. I try to click on them but nothing happens or it would go to a blank screen. Its really retarded. I just want my iPod to have more.
2008-03-15 22-38
Comment from: Dom
This blog entry is very old, but since people are still going to be reading via Googling, I think it behooves me to add some more up-to-date information regarding games
Okay, here’s the deal with games. The reason why there are none yet by professional developers is because Apple has not released the SDK. However, it’s obvious that once released there are not merely going to be just some casual games, as there are for the standard iPods. These are going to be fully developed games that are going to make the iPhone/Touch a contender in the handheld market.
For example, EA has announced that Spore is going to be released on the iPhone/Touch in September. It also has suggested that a slew of other games are going to be released.
Given the incredible amount of power packed into these sleek devices (including a very nice graphics processor) compared to the PSP and DS, it’s no wonder that Apple is going to try to develop these products as handheld gaming devices.
So fellow iPhone/Touch owners, fret not. You probably are holding what will be considered the most advanced handheld gaming system yet developed.
2008-04-16 20-10
Comment from: dsghdsghs
The Ipod-touch is to the Samsung p2 what Microsoft is to Linux.
If you don’t understand that sentence - buy yourself an ipod. For those those of you who are enlightened - you know what to do…
2008-05-25 16-59
Comment from: asdfj;lk
hah i get that one with the p2 but i think the touch is still better. i have a psp slim right now, and ive been lookin around for what to get for christmas but the psp does everything i need so i might sell it and then ask for a touch. i dont like the size of the psp and i dont have any games for it anyway so its not like im missin out on the game part, which is the only difference.
2008-12-17 04-05
Comment from: Ghost Rider
The Ipod Touch does have POP/IMAP, I just set mine up, it defaults to SSL so if your server doesn’t use SSL, be sure to change the port in the settings to Port 25. Works like a charm.
2009-01-12 21-01
Comment from: CJP
I refuse to pay $60+ a month to use an iPhone. My iPod Touch 2g uses i-fi built-in (most are free) and combining it with Skype and headset/mic, I have a “part-time” phone.
2009-04-11 19-22
Comment from: makdak
what kind of software does te ipod touch 2nd gen have and if i buy it can i play games such as hero of sparta or assassins creed without buying any softare upgrade.
2009-08-28 20-52